[ARCHIVED THREAD] - SHTF Watch (Again) (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 2/7/2010 2:27:56 PM EDT
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Yes, it is another SHTF watch thread. However, I have been looking for one
for a while and I think I may have found the one I want. (Or at least as close to what I want as I'm going to get) There are just main two problems: #1 It is EXPENSIVE. ($2400.00) #2 It is a brand I have NEVER heard of. (Ball Watches and they are in Switzerland) It can be found here: Ball Engineer Master II The Good: Manual wind Tritium vials on hands and 5 minute positions Stainless Steel body Sapphire Crystal Doesn't appear to need a special watchband The Bad $$$$$$ No day or date indications (or month) I would LIKE these but they are not necessary I know nothing about this watch or this company It looks like a good watch that shoould be rugged, reliable and fairly accurate, but we all know looks can be deceiving. Does anyone know anything about this watch, or even the reputation of the company? |
the only thing i see wrong with that is that is $2,400 you know i was just a wally world a few days ago and seen a watch for 9.99 you should look in to that. when the shtf the last thing i will be worryed about is what time it is. buy a cheap watch and use the rest of the money for food and ammo
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I know nothing about them, that being said I'm going to go ahead and say Casio G-Shock. You won't get better advice than this. People recommend a mechanical watch for SHTF due to lack of battery requirements. Realize that you will get three years out of a battery powered G shock depending on function use. If SHTF lasts longer than that, you may not have need of a watch. Mechanical watches, while good in their own right, have moving parts and are vulnerable to shock. I have broken the movement in my Seiko Automatic diver 3 times. It also runs slow by 20 seconds per day regardless of activity. The Seiko divers are generally regarded as durable. With a digital watch like G shock, you gain accuracy and many functions that can be extremely useful. SHTF notwithstanding, have you ever needed a countdown, alarm, or timer? The G shock Mudman is the toughest of the shock line and also comes in OD green and woodland camo. If you also worried about batteries, the Suunto Vector uses a twist compartment that makes batteries easily replaceable by the end user with tools no more complex than a coin. It also adds a compass and barometer. |
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Blue Dial watches are a great place to start I bought my SEIKO SKZ221 Automatic from them with the map dial feature!
http://www.bluedial.com/skz221.htm 
Seiko SKZ221 Watch Details: # Model # SKU SKZ221 # Seiko 5 collection. # Stainless steel case and bracelet with black plastic composite on case. # Gray dial with white hands and markers. # Calculates traveling distances and compass direction using classic, reliable technology. # The left crown is used to trace distance on a map. Maps using the 1:50000 M scale can be read directly. # Day and date with Spanish option. # Precise 23 jewels self-winding automatic movement. # Scratch resistant Hardlex crystal. # Screwdown caseback. # Screwdown crown. # Fold-over push button deployment clasp with micro adjustment. # Water resistant to 200m. # Case measures 43mm diameter by 15mm thick. # 3 years original manufacturer warranty. Other automatics from them: http://www.bluedial.com/seiko-watch-men-automatic.htm |
Very nice (pricey) watches. For my outdoors uses, I have used G-Shock watches for about a decade and been pleased. Currently, I am using one of their "Tough Solar" watches. After about 30min in direct sunlight, it'll run for weeks and weeks in a blacked out drawer.
$100. |
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I don't even wear a watch now. Why would I be counting minutes when the shit hits the fan. Things will need to be done and as much as can be as the day is long. I don't see needing anything more than the sun in the sky and general time telling by it. I'd much rather spend the money now on more important things like food, ammo, and the right gear. If the shit hits hard enough to need it, I'm sure finding a watch won't be hard. There should be more than enough around on the dead bodies. |
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I have a Ball Trainmaster that was my Great Uncle's. There is nothing wrong with a Ball watch.
It is scary how accurate a mechanical watch can be. Having said this, that is a metric butt-ton of cash for something that tells time. Unless the status of a new watch is important to you, consider shopping eBay (or the like). Ball watches there go frequently and you can get a great mechanical watch for not a huge amount of cash. |
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I own an ecodrive by citizen and like it because it is suppossed to run for 10 years with the factory battery getting charged by the little solar panel. I had a decent watch get a battery replaced and the seal did not do well and it was no longer waterproof and died an early death. Upon reading up on stuff most watches need to be sent back to the factory for any sort of battery replacement with a gaurantee, or it needs to be done by someone recognized and able to do such. While I have replaced a lot of batteries you get into games with specific seals and nitrogen purge so I decided to go with something that could go a decade with no cracking of the case. My current one is a few years old and in a year or two I will probably buy my second one so I can leapfrog them. Mine cost 200 bucks or so, watch for sales and check out the chronoshark.com website. As far as reasons to have a timing device, they vary and you can decide for yourself what you think. If a gal is having a kid I would like to know how far apart the contractions are. If meeting up with someone I would prefer to be able to do it even if it is cloudy and I can't tell when high noon has arrived. If working with others in different areas it would be nice to be able to synchronize watches and know we are all darn close to the same time. If traveling by foot or vehicle or anything you can time how long it took to cover a given distance on a map and figure out an eta. I understand the comments about being so busy you will be working from dawn to dusk, but with others out on watch or doing other stuff it might be nice to know when it is lunchtime other than someone ringing a big dinner bell. I understand about stuff breaking and not holding up and getting lost but I am going to give it a shot because I see it as a tool that can be darn useful. I also would personally like to know when others do stuff. For instance if someone is always out walking their perimeter at set times I want to know when their next time is going to be. I doubt I will do anything about it but I like to know information so I can decide if it is useful for me and mine to use. EVeryone is welcome to their opinion but I just see it as another tool to aid me in my survival. I consider a firearm useful. I consider a knife useful. I do consider a timepiece useful as well. As a kid I always bought cheaper stuff like the timex and what not and they lasted a few years in many cases. My ecodrive is on its 4th year I think, I would have to go find the receipt to be certain, and it has its original rubber bang and other than some marks is cruising along just fine. My ecodrive will glow in the dark for a bit after being in light for a bit but it fades out. While tritium might be nice I personally don't like stuff that is always on after I bought some nightvision. Just my opinion and on my next ecodrive I want one without the glowinthedarkstuff that does not last very long. |
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Ball makes a fine watch.
I prefer the Omega seamaster professional. You can pick one up used for $1200. Be aware if you plan on buying an automatic watch that they need servicing every 3-5 years. Omega makes a co-axial escapement model that needs servicing every 7 years but that is as long of a period as I know of. Also automatic watches do not keep time as well as quartz. They absolute best SHTF watch imo is the casio g-shock. price, ruggedness, waterproof. If you are dead set on an automatic check out Oris, Tissot, Omega, and Breitling. These are all excelent watches in a variety of price ranges. |
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Thanks for all the replies, even though some of you couldn't help being
a bit sarcastic. (Which is about par for the course) It was a serious question, and I was hoping to get all serious answers. For the record, I have a G-Shock, but don't remember which model, along with 2 Citizen EcoDrives. I was just looking to upgrade to a good mechanical watch, and came across this one over the weekend. Since I had never heard of them I was hoping to find out about their reputation. Yes, it is VERY expensive, but if they are a very high quality watch I would have to decide if is worth it to me. (And maybe buy it after more pressing needs are taken care of) I have the watch department covered (probably permanently) but if there is something better I am always open to the idea of upgrade. |
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the only thing i see wrong with that is that is $2,400 you know i was just a wally world a few days ago and seen a watch for 9.99 you should look in to that. when the shtf the last thing i will be worryed about is what time it is. buy a cheap watch and use the rest of the money for food and ammo this |
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Ball makes a fine watch. I prefer the Omega seamaster professional. You can pick one up used for $1200. Be aware if you plan on buying an automatic watch that they need servicing every 3-5 years. Omega makes a co-axial escapement model that needs servicing every 7 years but that is as long of a period as I know of. Also automatic watches do not keep time as well as quartz. They absolute best SHTF watch imo is the casio g-shock. price, ruggedness, waterproof. If you are dead set on an automatic check out Oris, Tissot, Omega, and Breitling. These are all excelent watches in a variety of price ranges. This obviates the perceived advantages of an automatic watch. I like an automatic watch for it's own sake, but not so much for its utility. My father has a 25 year old Seiko automatic that still runs with no servicing in that time, although its inaccuracy is measured in hours per week. ETA: Grammar |
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I inherited some SEIKO automatics and found that they did lose time by the hours-per-week schedule.
I traded them off. Now, most of my watches are battery-powered, so the EMP will cancel them out... How 'bout some old-fashioned WIND-UP watches? anybody still make them? accuracy potential? Had to ask! |
| MKII MMT on TAD Gear 20% the price for an autowind. This or an older Swiss mechanical and learn to work watches. |
| I have a Casio WV-58A It sets itself to the atomic clock, you can also track dual timezones (I leave my set to zulu time and eastern time zone) it was only 25 dollars. It servs my purpose, I suppose a compass would be nice... |
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I love expensive mechanical watches, but for that much money the thing should be better looking.  Compared to an Oakley, its beautiful. Yuck!!! |
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I love expensive mechanical watches, but for that much money the thing should be better looking. Compared to an Oakley, its beautiful. Yuck!!! That Oakley is ghey. |
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Very nice (pricey) watches. For my outdoors uses, I have used G-Shock watches for about a decade and been pleased. Currently, I am using one of their "Tough Solar" watches. After about 30min in direct sunlight, it'll run for weeks and weeks in a blacked out drawer.
$100. Heck, I like my solar G-Shock so much I put a rollcage on it to keep it from getting banged up in the server room
My Citizen Eco-Drive is a really nice watch, but I never wear it. I should probably sell it. |
 $170 • Digital Compass • Altimeter • Barometer • Thermometer. Casio's easy one-touch operation—functions are individually assigned to large buttons. Black resin band. Mfr's 1 Year Warranty. Import. Olive Drab/Tan. |
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if a watch has hands you can actually use it as a compas, i forget how exactly but if you have a boyscout handbook nearby it shows you in there. In the northern hemisphere, hold the watch horizontal and point the hour hand in the direction of the sun. Bisect the angle between the hour hand and the twelve o'clock mark to get the north-south line. North will be the direction further from the sun.
In the southern hemisphere, hold the watch horizontal and point the twelve o'clock mark in the direction of the sun. Bisect the angle between the hour hand and the twelve o'clock mark to get the north-south line. North will be the direction closer to the sun. Know the time, but don't have an analog watch? A simple drawing of a watch on a piece of paper, as long as it shows the correct time (you only need worry about the hour hand), works just as well. Can't see the sun clearly, or otherwise having difficulty determining its direction? As long as the sun is able to cast a shadow (which it can often do even through fog), you can determine its direction by holding a thin object (like a pencil or a stick) straight up and down; the resulting shadow will point away from the sun. Wonder why you're bisecting angles? As the earth rotates once (each day), the hour hand goes around the clock face twice. So you need to divide the angle by two (i.e., in half). from OneBag.com |
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Doesn't Rolex make a watch that fits your needs? 2400 bones - golly gee Batdude! Does that include airfare to Switzerland to supervise while they build it? Tag Heuer / Tissot makes some great watches for less than 1k - if you really need to burn the $$. Why not just get a Swatch? They're like 50 bucks, swiss made, lightweight and easy change battery. They keep good time too. I still have working Swatch watches from like 1985 - like totally awesome dude  Mondaine (official timekeeper of Swiss Railroads) makes some decent 'esoteric' watches for lower cost too. That said, I like my Seiko 100m Stainless Steel Diver - works great. Got it on clearance for maybe 150$. Haven't even been able to scratch the crystal yet. Or this - if the SHTF who would give a flying &*^% what time it is? Look up at the sky, either it'll be light or dark out. Sun in middle of sky? It's about midday. |
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Ball make great watches, no doubting that. They have been around for a LONG time and I thought they were US based but I could be wrong.
With that if you are really buying a watch for SHTF then like the others have said Casio G-Shock or Pathfinder is the way to go. They just last and have all the things you would need in a watch when SHTF. I have a few G-Shocks and a Pathfinder. I find myself wearing my Pathfinder more then the rest. Its big and has a ton of features that come in handy. All of these watches are under the $200 mark. I do have a Breitling for those special events or when I know I wont bang up my watch. |
| I never buy anything more than $200 on the internet unless its a big site like amazon, mainly due to the fact that I knew a kid in college who bought fake Rolex's and accessories from Chinese manufacturers and sold them on the internet....He was telling me how he got into it. I just sat there blinking..... shoot a coworker was on Amazon and clicked on a "sponsered link" and she bought all the seasons of "leave it to Beaver" ...she was mad because she ordered it a month before Christmas, she found it was an international company in India. When she got the videos it was what was in the description, but it was knockoff. There was a tv land icon in the lower left of the screen and the disks were numbered with somebodys writting. She said one disk it looked like the person was eating cheetos! You gotta be careful what you buy on the internet, especially over $2K!!! |
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http://www.rangerjoes.com/images/A4025.jpg $170 • Digital Compass • Altimeter • Barometer • Thermometer.
Casio's easy one-touch operation—functions are individually assigned to large buttons. Black resin band. Mfr's 1 Year Warranty. Import. Olive Drab/Tan. Ive been looking at this exact watch. How does the compass work? Like a regular compass? Or does it rely on satalites for the compass to work? Im just wondeing if it would work if "the Grid" was out. In a SHTF or EOTWAWKI situation. Other than that I think this is the way ill go. Thanks |
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Quoted: Quoted: http://www.rangerjoes.com/images/A4025.jpg $170 • Digital Compass • Altimeter • Barometer • Thermometer. Casio's easy one-touch operation—functions are individually assigned to large buttons. Black resin band. Mfr's 1 Year Warranty. Import. Olive Drab/Tan. Ive been looking at this exact watch. How does the compass work? Like a regular compass? Or does it rely on satalites for the compass to work? Im just wondeing if it would work if "the Grid" was out. In a SHTF or EOTWAWKI situation. Other than that I think this is the way ill go. Thanks Works like a regular compass/ plus will withstand an EMP blast from what they say. It's a great watch. |
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http://www.rangerjoes.com/images/A4025.jpg $170 • Digital Compass • Altimeter • Barometer • Thermometer.
Casio's easy one-touch operation—functions are individually assigned to large buttons. Black resin band. Mfr's 1 Year Warranty. Import. Olive Drab/Tan. Ive been looking at this exact watch. How does the compass work? Like a regular compass? Or does it rely on satalites for the compass to work? Im just wondeing if it would work if "the Grid" was out. In a SHTF or EOTWAWKI situation. Other than that I think this is the way ill go. Thanks Works like a regular compass/ plus will withstand an EMP blast from what they say. It's a great watch.
Magnetism isn't the same thing as an electromagnetic pulse. They're just saying a magnet held next to the watch won't throw it off. EMP will fry it just as much as any similar electronic watch. I've never been a fan of digital compasses. I would only use it as a secondary backup to a real compass. But you can get one of those add-on watch strap compasses for pretty cheap, and it's at least a real compass. If the EMP fries your compass, that's pretty bad news. 
Even though I think an EMP pulse is ridiculously overemphasized, I do see a mechanical watch as advantageous in a survival situation. A mechanical is going to need periodic servicing, but it can go a long time without service before it stops working or gets unusably inaccurate. An electronic watch doesn't need that kind of periodic servicing, with one exception: the battery. If the battery is dead, an electronic watch is useless. And it seems like every electronic watch I've owned has the battery die at the worst time and it's a pain to find a replacement even in non-SHTF. The Ball watch pointed out by the OP is probably pretty durable. The 6497 movement is big, simple, common and relatively cheap and would be a good choice if SHTF. Chinese Panerai clones are abundant in part because it's easy for the Chinese to make a decent 6497 clone. But the watch itself is overpriced just in terms of how it would do if SHTF. You could probably find something just as tough and much cheaper from somebody like Seiko, Hamiliton, Victorinox, and a lot of others. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: http://www.rangerjoes.com/images/A4025.jpg $170 • Digital Compass • Altimeter • Barometer • Thermometer. Casio's easy one-touch operation—functions are individually assigned to large buttons. Black resin band. Mfr's 1 Year Warranty. Import. Olive Drab/Tan. Ive been looking at this exact watch. How does the compass work? Like a regular compass? Or does it rely on satalites for the compass to work? Im just wondeing if it would work if "the Grid" was out. In a SHTF or EOTWAWKI situation. Other than that I think this is the way ill go. Thanks Works like a regular compass/ plus will withstand an EMP blast from what they say. It's a great watch.Magnetism isn't the same thing as an electromagnetic pulse. They're just saying a magnet held next to the watch won't throw it off. EMP will fry it just as much as any similar electronic watch. I've never been a fan of digital compasses. I would only use it as a secondary backup to a real compass. But you can get one of those add-on watch strap compasses for pretty cheap, and it's at least a real compass. If the EMP fries your compass, that's pretty bad news. Even though I think an EMP pulse is ridiculously overemphasized, I do see a mechanical watch as advantageous in a survival situation. A mechanical is going to need periodic servicing, but it can go a long time without service before it stops working or gets unusably inaccurate. An electronic watch doesn't need that kind of periodic servicing, with one exception: the battery. If the battery is dead, an electronic watch is useless. And it seems like every electronic watch I've owned has the battery die at the worst time and it's a pain to find a replacement even in non-SHTF. The Ball watch pointed out by the OP is probably pretty durable. The 6497 movement is big, simple, common and relatively cheap and would be a good choice if SHTF. Chinese Panerai clones are abundant in part because it's easy for the Chinese to make a decent 6497 clone. But the watch itself is overpriced just in terms of how it would do if SHTF. You could probably find something just as tough and much cheaper from somebody like Seiko, Hamiliton, Victorinox, and a lot of others. I've been bamboozled! j/kGood to know and good post. I agree that the compass is just a good back up but not to be relied upon as a primary. eta:sp |
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Hijack...
Im looking for a reliable way to start a fire. Will this Fifteen hundred dollar pack of matches fit the bill? 
Search Casio Frogman. One served me very well for 10 years and two sets of bands before I lost it somehow during last halloweens mayhem.
Solar powered, the battery bars never once reached less than 100% (i work outside). |
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Buy the Ball. You might as well be happy. What if the end doesn't come? Stock up on some style. Then buy a Seiko 5 for about $75 to knock around in. You gotta have a watch to mow in, too. And a conceal carry watch. Don't forget the 'causal Friday' watch. Life is too short not to have a couple nice watches. A Swiss manual or automatic is an heirloom. Make your grandkids happy, too.
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I own an ecodrive by citizen and like it because it is suppossed to run for 10 years with the factory battery getting charged by the little solar panel. My Citizen Eco Drive has been around longer than I've been legal to drive. My citizen eco drive has been around since the end of high school and I'm 26. Thing is a bit torn up but from a distance it still looks good. I've been mean to it over the years and it still keep going and can be worn with pretty much anything(wouldn't wear a big plastic watch with a suit and tie). They have only been making them since the mid 90s. Citizen claims the internal battery will still hold about 80% of its charge after 20 years. Mind you the internal batteries are rated from 30 days to like 7 or 8 years depending on model. |
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I just bought this watch. I've only had it a few weeks, but I'm impressed. It's on the pricey side (for me) but has all the functions I wanted: solar, atomic, ABC. It's amazing how thin & light it is - I hardly know it's there. It's much lighter than my last G-Shock, the GW-300. This review tipped me over the edge. Once you go atomic, there's no going back. New:  Old:  |
I have a Swiss Army Dive Master 500, that is virtually bomb-proof. It's a massive chunk of stainless steel, literally the heaviest watch I've ever worn. It also has a anti-reflective sapphire crystal, screw-down crown, magnified date window, and is water resistant to 500M. You'd have to try really hard to break it. The only drawback, if you can call it that, is that it's a quartz movement, and requires a battery. Looks like this: |